Bob Francis: Comics Writer

And Tomorrow We Carpool

2011-03-16T22:46:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is the first rehearsal for my elder son's band, and guess who's lucky enough to chauffeur a group of excited 14-15 year olds about town?

Yup.

Me.

Actually, this is great. He's been talking about forming a band since he picked up his guitar, and now the next step in that dream is about to take place.

A Long Overdue Review of THE HERO BUSINESS

2011-03-13T22:10:00.002-06:00

Bill Walko's THE HERO BUSINESS is a grand satirical romp happily skewering standard tropes of superhero comics. His art work is clean, appealing, and personable. Most importantly, the art compliments the writing and vice versa.

Walko uses a cartoony approach to his world: bright, vibrant colors, highly stylized figures and minimal backgrounds. But this choice makes the satire all the more evident. The reader is instantly immersed in the world of style consultants to the spandex set with wink, a nod, and tongue firmly planted in cheek.

The first arc admirably establishes the characters through the eyes of the newly hired receptionist, Parker (who has a few secrets of her own), working with a Paris Hilton-esque character with newly procured fire powers. Procured? Yes. Bought. Hilarity, naturally, ensues.

After the appropriately named ORIENTATION storyline, Walko treats his readers to a series of "One and Done" pages rounding out some characters while providing commentary on the goings on of the actions and antics of the print comics industry. Keeping with the theme, he calls his interludes "Coffee Breaks".

THE HERO BUSINESS has everything you need for good comics: good art, good writing and good characters. THE HERO BUSINESS updates on Thursdays.

Is This Thing On?

2011-03-13T22:01:00.003-06:00

Been a long time since I picked up the blog again, and it's time I start writing on it.

Besides mired in rewrite hell, I've been helping my teenage son acclimate to high school, even found a rock band. He's grinding away on his ax even as I type, with me, his father, proud of the fact the goober paid for the guitar with his own cash. My tweener started piano lessons so the house is full of what could occasionally be called music.

For those who don't know already, I pay the bills as a baker, and that's been taking up a lot of my efforts and focus. Anyway, that's more excuses than anything else. Time to relax a bit and start writing again.

Starting with this very blog.

Hair pulling experience...

2010-03-04T11:44:00.003-06:00

I decided to pick up my pencil again and start drawing a comic. As Harry Callahan said in Magnum Force, "A man's got to know his limitations," but hell, I went to art school for a while, so why not?

And.......

After a computer lock, where I lost half my work I completed page 1 of 8. Yay me, and I'm sure that an editor will be laughing soon.

Hopefully the final rename is.....

2010-01-17T03:13:00.001-06:00

Kelly and I talked it over, and we decided to simply retitle the comic after our main character.

So world, get ready for SALOME.

Release the AWESOME!

2010-01-14T16:27:00.002-06:00

Yes, I'm stealing a line from an Adam Sandler movie, but Kelly has just turned in some pages that have blown me away. I'm thrilled with her growth as an artist.

She's also started her own webcomic called STOMPY BOOTS.

Check it out!

The Incredible Changing Title!

2010-01-14T16:21:00.002-06:00

It started out as ORIGINAL SIN.

But concept wise and connotation wise, the title didn't fit the story.

So, we decided on AWAKEN.

But a Google search and over 37 pages later, "AWAKEN" just isn't punchy enough.

ARGH!

Who thought that naming a comic would be so dang hard?

The Times They Are A Changin'

2009-09-09T13:09:00.002-06:00

This last month has been a very interesting cycle at the top end of the comics industry to say the least!

First Marvel gets bought out by the Mouse in a move that should, eventually, benefit both sides.

On the heels of that announcement comes the creation of DC ENTERTAINMENT which has been on the wall for more than a year. The most interesting part of the announcement was the recalling of most of the DC properties "currently" in development. It now looks definite that WB/DC are now going to use the Marvel model in future movies and try to keep it all under one roof. With the new alignment, there SHOULD, operative word, be more synergy between DC and its various licensees.

A bittersweet part of this announcement is the stepping down of Mr. Paul Levitz as President/Publisher of DC. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Levitz at the New York Comic Con, and although he didn't have a great deal of time, he shook my hand and made me feel very welcome. I'm glad to know he will still be very involved with DC and I thought his tenure as publisher was exemplary.

How this announcement shakes down to all the various spokes in the DC Umbrella remains to be seen, of course, but perhaps we'll get that Night Owls movie after all.

Ladies And Gentleman... I support.......

2009-08-19T16:53:00.003-06:00

Rogue Royal!

And I ask you check it out and support it too!

A New Direction and a New Title

2009-08-19T16:33:00.004-06:00

Kelly and I have been working on our series again. She's shown me a couple of pages, and my god, her work has taken a great leap forward. I'm truly impressed by them. And I've gotten quite picky in my old age... HA!

In related news, we no longer think ORIGINAL SIN really is the best title for the series. Yes, the series is about a fall, knowledge of good and evil, and all that, but with the new look and the rewrite, the connotations of "Original Sin" just no longer gelled with the vision for Salome Dupont.

With a lot of help (meaning I started polling my friends), we finally found the new title for the series:

AWAKEN

Wish us luck.

Rewrites Rewrites And New Stuff!

2009-07-21T07:56:00.002-06:00

I have been very remiss in keeping everyone updated, so please accept my apologies on that. But in the meantime, whilst not blogging, I've been working on several projects.

Kelly Porteous and I are retooling Original Sin, and her art has taken a great leap forward. I thought she was awesome before, but you ain't seen nuthin' yet!

After being rejected, Sandy and I are taking a new look at Flight Captain Hurricane, and will be pitching it to a publisher in the very near future. Lots of work to do on that still, but I'm really excited!

And lastly, I've got a little 8-pager in production with an eager young artist. The script is, well in my opinion, funny. It feels good to be back in the writing saddle.

Now if only these rewrites didn't take so long....

A Temporary Setback

2009-05-06T14:39:00.001-06:00

The long wait ended.

Flight Captain Hurricane was rejected by Zuda.

And admittedly, the wait didn't end in the way that that the team and I wanted, but it's a temporary setback at best. I believe very strongly in the Flight Captain in Hurricane concept, and the team and I will retool, rearm, and retake to the skies.

In the meantime, here's a very recent sketch by Sandy starring the leads from FCH!

A BIG Thank you!

2009-04-23T11:50:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was my birthday, and I thank everyone for the birthday wishes I got on Facebook, and my favorite comic message board, Comic Bloc.

I do have a special thank you for Kelly Porteous, Sandra Khoo, and Elisita Gayle, three very talented artists I have the pleasure of working with, who gave me some art for my birthday.

THANK YOU!

I'll post them once I don't deem them too "spoilery" ~laughs~.

DC's Back Up(s) Plan

2009-03-20T16:13:00.002-06:00

I've been giving the announcement of DC's recent announcement of Co-Features a lot of thought. Personally, I think it's a brilliant. So brilliant, that it would be a great way to not only keep characters in the limelight like Blue Beetle and Ravager, but it would be a great way to establish new or lesser known talent.

David Gallaher writing The Phantom Stranger? Genius.

Steve Ellis drawing The Blackhawks? Awesome.

Bobby Timony on a GA Red Tornado and Tornado Twins? Brilliant.

Or you can run a feature pairing a new writer with a popular one. The possibilities are limitless, and I am anxious to see what DC will do next.

Go HAMMER!!!

2009-02-26T22:38:00.004-06:00

As it approaches Zero Hour in this month's contest on Zuda, I just want to give THE HAMMER a last minute shout out and a plea for your support.

THE HAMMER is a crazy concoction with 2 parts Harvey, 1 part Mickey Spillane and a twist of Raymond Chandler. The guys behind the giant pink bunny are passionate and worthy of your support.

Quick! Vote THE HAMMER on ZUDA!!

Find FCH on FB and MySpace!

2009-02-25T23:26:00.000-06:00

The Official Facebook and MySpace Pages for Flight Captain Hurricane are now online and can be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flight-Captain-Hurricane/53467968364

http://www.myspace.com/flightcaptainhurricane

Become a fan today!

An Early Review of Flight Captain Hurricane!

2009-02-19T22:36:00.002-06:00

Jeff Stolarcyk at http://conditionalaxe.com talks FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE!

Thanks for the extremely kind words, Jeff!

NYCC Day 2

2009-02-07T21:42:00.001-06:00

Today I thought I'd sit in a few panels.

Well, that didn't happen.

Today I talked a lot about Zuda to a lot of people, and had exciting conversations about promotions, possibilities, and rediscovered that the comics community is exactly that... a true community. I can't say enough good things about the Zuda teams, from the editorial staff, to the teams of the individual comics.

They are all wonderful people and my hat is certainly off to them.

And for the love of Pete! Go to ZUDA! Read. Vote. Create.

NYCC Day 1

2009-02-06T22:24:00.002-06:00

To tell the story of Day 1, I kind of have to go back and talk a little about Day 0, or Travel Day. This year is particularly special. This year, my sons are in New York with me. We took an afternoon flight, ate Schlotzsky's on the plane, and froze our butts off while wating for my mother to come pick us up.

Yes, kids, it's Winter in New York.

But that said, when we got to my mother's house in Dobbs Ferry, they were excited to see something we don't see much in Central Texas: Snow. Granted it was three day old crusty snow, but it was still S-N-O-W. And more importantly to my younger, he spotted deer tracks in the snow. He couldn't have been happier.

Day 1:

We slept well, ate a good breakfast, and then I started off to the City. For those not familiar with the greater NYC area, Dobbs Ferry is a pretty short train ride from Grand Central Terminal, and then I figured that I'd experience the teeth of a NYC winter myself.

I walked to the Javitz Center. And actually, it was... nice. My backpack head yet to start digging into my shoulders from lugging around my laptop, my coat was warm, my hat stayed on, and I met an amateur photographer/comic dealer from New Jersey on the way. Nice conversation.

Speaking of the Javitz, the check-in line was amazingly long this year. I don't know if the registration booth was smaller than last year or not, but my God.... the line stretched nearly all the way across the hall. I did meet Todd Nauck of Wildguard, Teen Titans Go!, Young Justice, and oh yeah, that certain issue of Spiderman recently with a certain sitting president on the cover fame, and Marvel artist, Anthony Williams. The line, fortunately, moved quickly. Once I got my pass, I started up and got my bearings. The DC Booth was where it was last year. Artist Alley was in the same corner, and then I set off to find my friends the Timony Brothers.

They have a nice booth with the writer and artist of HIGH MOON: David Gallaher and Steve Ellis. Both are gracious and excellent gentleman, and HIGH MOON has been a great read on ZUDA. And today was, more or less, a hang-out-with-the-ZUDA-guys day. So, I met a lot of good joes. Anyways, I guess I ramble at nearly midnight and when I've pounded a con and a whole lotta pavement, but back to the story....

The first GEEK OUT moment of NYCC 09:

I was standing in the DC Booth watching a promo for something or other, I really can't remember which, and I turned around and standing right next to me was... Bruce Timm. Now being an obnoxiously big fan of Batman: The Animated Series and working with Sandy (who is a character designer for an animation studio) getting a picture with him became a moral imperative. I owe a big thanks to the DC Staffer that took the snap, and pics WILL be coming once I get back home and download them off the camera.

I also showed Flight Captain Hurricane around the con, mainly to ZUD-ites, and was buoyed by their well wishes. The ZUDA editors also saw them, and the head editor put it in his bag, and I don't have it back yet. Well, at least they know it's in their inbox.

Past that, I met old friends during show, and sat in on only two panels: ZUDA and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. I will hit more panels tomorrow.

FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE has been SUBMITTED

2009-02-05T14:29:00.001-06:00

After a frenetic coloring session, FCH is now in the inbox of ZUDA!

Wish us luck during this exciting process!

A New Year, a "new" Sally!

2009-01-31T23:48:00.002-06:00

Kelly emailed me this great sketch of Sally Dupont today.

I wanted to share it with all of you!

I hope you enjoy it as much I as I do.

Been far, far too long

2009-01-27T14:38:00.003-06:00

It's been a long time since I posted anything in the blog, so it's time for a few updates.

Original Sin is still in production! We're looking at colors and a new lettering style now. But Kelly and I are still very excited about the story.

Flight Captain Hurricane is getting spit polished now. The scripts have been flowing well so far, and Sandy's art has been awesome.

In other news, the New York Comic Con is right around the corner, and for the second year, I'll be cruising around the Javitz Center, taking in the sights and meeting my friends and heroes.

Hope to see you there!

New Ideas, New Projects

2008-11-13T15:43:00.003-06:00

Today I started tackling a great genre, HIGH FANTASY. I've always been attracted to this genre, and it's perfect for comics. It's got action, adventure, maybe a dash of romance, and great epic scale.

I've already got the first story outlined, and the scripting is flowing well. Now I have to find another artist...

The Half Way Point

2008-11-03T22:13:00.000-06:00

Well folks, I've reached the half way point in the script for FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE, and although the finished art for this segment is still several months away, I can already see Sandy's beautiful designs for it.

We're moving closer and closer to submitting FCH to Zuda, and my confidence is growing more and more with each passing day.

And then... a LOGO!

2008-10-20T14:15:00.001-06:00

Chapter 1 down... 3 Chapters to go

2008-10-08T11:58:00.002-06:00

Just finished the draft of FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE Chapter 1. We follow the adventures of John Whitney into the unknown, and now the danger deepens!

This has been a great project to work on for me. The pacing has been such a challenge and that's based completely on the way FCH will be presented.

Anyway, back to work!

Twilight Preview on MySpace!

2008-08-13T15:28:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone!

I just posted a Seven page preview of TWILIGHT: Voices of the Dead, by Bob Francis and Robert Saunders on my MySpace page!

Check it out!

I'm on MySpace!

2008-08-11T16:30:00.002-06:00

Howdy everyone!

You can find me on MySpace now too!

http://www.myspace.com/bobfranciscomics

ORIGINAL SIN Preview on Facebook!

2008-07-30T07:14:00.002-06:00

Drop by and see this 12 page preview of ORIGINAL SIN by Bob Francis and Kelly Porteous!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20460983043

New Designs by Sandra Khoo!

2008-06-26T13:05:00.002-06:00

See the new designs at the FCH Blog!

A little help goes a long way.

2008-06-25T10:45:00.003-06:00

I'd like to thank the Royal Air Force Museum and Chris Yeoman for their assistance in researching FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE. For a story set in World War 2, I needed to be as accurate as possible in descriptions of planes, squadrons, colors, and well, just about everything.

Chris supplied me with images of the exact model of Whitney's Hurri, and the RAF supplied more details about the squadron markers. Thanks to all!

My son asked me early on in the research why I was being so detail oriented. My answer was simple: "It's World War 2, and it's one of the most researched and studied conflicts ever! If I say there are Hawker Hurricanes in the South Pacific, there'd BETTER be Hurri's in the South Pacific! People will know!"

FCH First Look!

2008-06-15T19:52:00.002-06:00

Online at the Official FCH Blog!

Sandra's designs of John Whitney!

Taking Flight! The Official Blog of FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE

2008-05-27T21:11:00.005-06:00

Here's the link to the Official FCH Blog:

http://flightcaptainhurricane.blogspot.com/

Follow the adventures of Bob Francis, Scott Fisher, and now Sandra Khoo, as we try to bring the adventures of John Whitney to Zuda!

CHARLIE GOLD Update!

2008-05-27T16:49:00.003-06:00

The first screen of The Sonata of Charlie Gold is online! Find it here!
http://charliegold.blogspot.com/

Thank you Elisita for your great work!

Teaching Myself to Letter

2008-05-24T20:10:00.001-06:00

With "Charlie Gold" I'm taking the opportunity to learn to letter comics with Photoshop. It's been a lot of trial and error, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. We'll see when something more complex comes across my desktop, but "Charlie Gold" is a great way to start.

"CHARLIE GOLD" Now Online!

2008-05-16T10:47:00.004-06:00

Well... almost.

The Sonata of Charlie Gold to be published here:

http://charliegold.blogspot.com/

I'm very excited about this webcomic! It's a new challenge in terms of pacing, and Elisita Gayle's work is fresh, youthful, and very eye appealing! Updates on the process of "Charlie Gold" will, of course, continue to be published here but the final product will be on the new site.

Great things are coming!

When Details Change Everything

2008-05-15T10:36:00.003-06:00

Before Elisita Gayle turned in the title screen of THE SONATA OF CHARLIE GOLD, I had a very different backstory in mind for the teenager. I figured she'd want to assert her independence by dying her hair some wild shades, or wear lots of blacks, or something.

Then I saw in the design that this girl had eyebrow, nose, and even lip piercings. I liked the look, and it didn't start to bother me until the realization of Charlie's age set in.

Charlie is 16! 99% of all the jewelry places won't pierce minors without a guardian's permission. That started a whole ball rolling, all centered on this question: Who paid for/approved Charlie's piercings?

I answered that question, and in doing so, came up with a totally different backstory than I had originally intended. Charlie's still a teenager asserting her independence, but now the hows and whys of Charlie's young life are different than when I first conceptualized the character. It's just an example of how a detail as small as a pierced eyebrow changes everything you had planned about a character.

ORIGINAL SIN Preview!

2008-05-15T09:58:00.003-06:00

Here are the first three pages of ORIGINAL SIN, written by me with art by Kelly Porteous!
Just as a reminder you can check out more samples, production art, character bios, and even fan art at Kelly's ORIGINAL SIN site: http://www.lunajile-studios.com/originalsin/main.html

TWILIGHT: Voices of the Dead Preview!

2008-05-11T17:01:00.007-06:00

Here's a couple of preview pages of Robert Saunders' and my comic TWILIGHT: Voices of the Dead. I've really enjoyed writing this series. It's been an exciting ride for me, and I hope it will be for the readers as well.

THE SONATA OF CHARLIE GOLD

2008-05-03T23:09:00.010-06:00

Coming Soon to the Internet!

THE SONATA OF CHARLIE GOLD is the story of a young violinist as she goes on the most mirthful, perilous, and heartfelt journey of her life: being a teenager.

Written by Bob Francis and drawn by Elisita Gayle in her first serious comics effort.

"Charlie Gold" is an ongoing webcomic, planned to have a bi-weekly update schedule.

ORIGINAL SIN Art Site up and running!

2008-05-01T21:26:00.007-06:00

Kelly Porteous added an entire section dedicated to our series, ORIGINAL SIN, on her studio site. http://www.lunajile-studios.com/originalsin/

Check the site for character bios, sample pages, and yes! Even fan art!

Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo

2008-04-25T09:23:00.005-06:00

The Calgary Expo is this weekend, and Kelly Porteous, the artist for Original Sin, has an exhibition table there! I'm absolutely excited for her and wish her the best of luck!

Fortunately for her, she doesn't have to travel!

TWILIGHT and ORIGINAL SIN Mock Covers

2008-04-24T07:13:00.006-06:00

These are the submissions covers for my projects TWILIGHT: Voices of the Dead and ORIGINAL SIN. The artists are, respectively, Robert Saunders and Kelly Porteous. The two projects have presented unique pacing and writing challenges, and the artists have been producing fantastic work.

Searching for FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE

2008-04-23T13:39:00.004-06:00

Scott Fisher, a British author, and I dreamed up this concept last year and started to flesh it out as a mini, but the concept has been retooled as a webcomic. Twenty screens are outlined, but now the exhaustive search for an artist has begun.

This is where I ask the tough questions, mainly dealing with the pure look of the series. Most of the time I have a firm idea of what I'm looking for, visually. And FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE isn't any different.

I just have to find the right artist.

New York Comic Con 2008

2008-04-21T12:02:00.004-06:00

I had the great opportunity to come to New York for the show, and it was truly worth every effort getting here. I met some great people; the list is much, much too long to do anyone justice, and I learned a great deal about the medium and the industry.

Thanks to everyone in New York.

Good things are coming.

Welcome to the Show!

2008-04-20T19:47:00.000-06:00

Let me introduce myself.

I am Bob Francis.

I write Comics.

In the following days, weeks, months, and years, I'll be posting comics I've written and let you know when and where to see them. I have the great fortune to be working on a pair of excellent projects, ORIGINAL SIN and TWILIGHT: VOICES OF THE DEAD, with two fantastic talents, Kelly Porteous and Robert Saunders, respectively.

Keep your eyes open, good things are coming.